Mark Ciani on Being in “Some Kind Of Purgatory”
Fearless creative Mark Ciani brings 25 years of experience in the New York music scene to every track he crafts, flaunting a style that is as inventive and ambitious, as it is wickedly enjoyable. Mark embarked on his musical journey as a songwriter and keyboardist for the punk-ska band Freaks From The Apocalypse in the 90s. Yet, even while pursuing a career as a lawyer in the 2000s, Mark’s dedication to his music never wavered, playing, writing, and producing for various musical projects, often under different names—expanding his diverse repertoire and showcasing his commendable versatility and relentless curiosity. Marking a new chapter in 2022, Mark introduced a solo project under his own name. With each release, listeners are taken on wild, unpredictable journeys through tracks infused with drama, vulnerability, humor, intrigue, and much more. Mark’s latest project, The Catacombs, is a testament to his growth as an artist and prowess as a storyteller, delving into the ways people self-sabotage their chances to find peace within their lives. With its raw emotionality, rock sensibility, and daring perceptiveness, The Catacombs stands as his most compelling work yet, drawing in audiences eager to see where his creativity will lead next.
As a standout track nestled in the narrative of The Catacombs, “Some Kind of Purgatory” lives up to its name—delivering a sound and style untethered to anything in particular—constantly surprising the listener. Working alongside Grammy-winning producer and engineer Fernando Lodeiro, Mark explores how heartbreak can transform a relationship once considered “some kind of wonderful” into an unsettling purgatory. The song’s narrator finds himself in a chaotic limbo, grappling with a labyrinth of nuanced and occasionally absurd emotions—from detachment to disappointment, to even obsession—reminiscent of the stages of grief. Scarred by the loss of his dreams with another, he wrestles with facing his reality “stalling just short of imagined glory.” Layered with grumbling alt-rock guitars, disorderly piano chords, charismatic vocals, and whimsical flourishes, the track is a compelling earworm that reveals Mark’s skillfulness in crafting music as sensitive as it is delicious. Despite the turmoil, the narrator holds on to the hope that he “surely will be okay” once the dust settles—channeling a desperate yet unshakable resolve through the noise.
New York’s iconic Coney Island is usually alive with the sounds and sights of carefree fun—neon lights glowing, laughter echoing, and the salty air buzzing with excitement. But the Coney Island Mark visits feels like another dimension, shrouded in an aura of eeriness and desolation. On a chilly morning, he finds himself alone in a place usually bustling with cheerful beachgoers. The empty boardwalk stretches before him as he meanders aimlessly, searching for something elusive—perhaps a one-way ticket out of this isolating limbo in which he’s trapped. With an anxious, unsteady touch, the camera seems to stalk him, following up close, then trailing behind, disjointedly tracking his movements. Crafted in a collaborative effort between Mark and filmmaker Tyler Ward of Diagonal Media, the video’s creative and haunting visual effects evoke a sense of chaotic desperation. Yet, the narrator’s pain feels distinctly human and deeply relatable against the backdrop of a place designed to elicit joy. Playful touches, like Mark’s impossible-to-miss bright pink suit, contrast the heaviness of the narrative—perhaps this is a place for fun after fall. It draws viewers into the shadowy depths of isolation while hinting at resilience—a poignant, cathartic, and bittersweet exploration of the complexity of human relationships, and how they shape us for better or for worse.
Talk to us a little bit about your journey as a musician up to this point. What motivates you to make music?
Right out of the gate and you’re asking the questions my therapist asks! The short answer is, I’m not sure. I’ve been writing, producing, and performing music in one form or another for 30 years and it’s the most consistently gratifying aspect of my life. I’m often tricking myself. Writing music and recording bare-bones demos is pure joy: the performances do not need to be good, there are no rules as I’m making up words and music out of thin air, and when they are completed, I’m left with the anxiety and responsibility of arranging, recording, mixing and mastering the songs until they reach their final state. I’m motivated first by the fun of that initial creativity, and then by a sense of obligation to do right by the song. With “Some Kind of Purgatory” and the album The Catacombs (coming next month), I certainly went through the cycle of writing 50 songs over six months, and then spending a year in a near-constant state of anxiety about making the best album possible from the raw materials of those initial demos.
“Some Kind of Purgatory” explores the nuances of relationships, acting almost as a “post-breakup” song—what inspired you to write about relationships from this perspective?
There are great break-up songs that hit on the sadness or the anger that often comes from the end of a relationship. But I don’t think that’s a particularly honest way of describing that type of experience, at least not for me. The way I see it, anger, sadness, regret, self-loathing, depression, gratitude, love, hate, and many other feelings are all jostling for position when someone meaningful is removed from a person’s life. I tried to capture that in the lyrics of “Some Kind of Purgatory” and the sound of the record as well.
During your production process, was there a specific sound you were hoping to achieve? What distinctive elements did you incorporate into its soundscape?
Definitely. I wanted the song to have very distinctive sections and for very few sections to sound alike. So, each section has a slightly different sonic quality. For example, I wanted to give the second verse a circus-like feeling with very little structure and I recorded some synth parts before we entered the studio, and the band seized on those parts and played around them. Overall, the whole song succeeds or fails on whether it sounds like it might come off the rails during the verses before it hits the anthemic choruses, and I think we got there, thanks to a truly fabulous group of musicians that I’m lucky enough to make music with: Kirk Schoenherr, Grant Zubritsky, Jon Smith, and Jeni Magana.
What encouraged you to work with filmmaker Tyler Ward and Diagonal Media on this project? What was your collaboration process like?
I used to make music with one of the founders of the company, Blake Drummond (who incidentally, is a very talented person and a great guy). He and his colleagues have built a really wonderful video production company and they were willing to make the video with me. I had never met Tyler, but they linked the two of us up, and it was a great creative match. Tyler and I were very much on the same wavelength about the tone and direction of the video and we had a blast filming it out on Coney Island. I selected the location and had the idea to film at a time when no one would be on the boardwalk. Having the camera stalk me in an eerie setting conjures purgatory in my mind, or at least, some sense of dread despite the traditional markers of joy like the beach and the amusement park. Tyler added so much to the idea throughout the shoot and in the editing process, suggesting different shots and stills. He really took my bare idea and made something compelling.
In what ways do the visuals in the music video help to elicit the feeling of chaos or desperation from the song?
I think the juxtaposition of the beach, amusement park, and clear sky, against the desolation of the beach and the voyeuristic way the camera films me strikes a very eerie tone. Also, the shots are fast and seem almost out of order — I’m up close and the camera is shaky, but the next second, I’m 20 feet away and the camera is steady, and then you’re just looking at a fake palm tree. That seems chaotic and disorienting to me in a way that matches the feeling of the song.
What was the most rewarding part of bringing this story to life? Did you face any unexpected challenges or surprises along the way?
As much as the music-making process brings me anxiety, as I said earlier, it is also euphoric to hear a song come alive in the studio. I can’t really say this song presented many challenges. It came together rather quickly, and the band understood where I was heading with it. The production process is always filled with wonderful surprises because I will spend months contemplating the arrangements for songs, which is necessary so that the band goes in with some direction. But then they, and my engineer and co-producer Fernando Lodeiro, bring so much of their own expression to the recordings, and my job as the producer and artist is to be flexible and open enough to accept their contributions as the gifts that they are.
What feedback or reactions from listeners have been the most meaningful to you?
I love this question. In one sense, I’m just happy folks are listening and I’m grateful for anyone who takes three and a half minutes to hear my song. But what I’m seeing with this particular song is that listeners are not only enjoying it, but understanding exactly what the song is trying to do. I feel like I’ve communicated something clearly to some listeners, and that’s sort of wonderful.
What can fans look forward to from you in the future?
I’ve got a new album coming out on February 21 called The Catacombs. “Some Kind of Purgatory” is one of the tracks and I think listeners are really going to enjoy the album. After that, I’ll be heading into the studio later this year to record another one. I feel like I’m on a creative hot streak and like a pitcher adopting superstitious routines to maintain performance, I’m trying to record as often as I can to make sure I’m capturing the moment!
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About the Author
Dr. Jerry Doby Editor-in-Chief of The Hype Magazine, Media and SEO Consultant, Journalist, Ph.D. and retired combat vet. 2023 recipient of The President's Lifetime Achievement Award. Partner at THM Media Group. Member of the U.S. Department of Arts and Culture, the United States Press Agency and ForbesBLK.
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